Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-12

INhoce5lOu. IiilS CODltShlOu, ~ - oaih,
viii convict thirteen crews.
kilograms from Cadiz, Steubenville,
and points west OF Columbus report the
arrest Of large number Of railroad en-
ployees implicated in tho robberies. A
preliminary hearing will be held on
April 18th. Specials from Dennison,
Ohio, report the arrest there OF J. X.
Dunlop, leader Of the gang, and James
and W. Calls, with several Thousands
OF dollars worth of yclvets and high
priced dry goods in their possession.
The articles were taken from United
States bonded cars en- route to Chicago,
st. Louis, and other points west. One
Busby, the worst man in the gang,
slipped his handouts and recklessly
threw himself from train whilst it was
going and escaped.
TO WHOM CREDIT IS DUE.
To Joseph Rue, special agent of the
Pennsylvania railroad, and Detective
Gilkeson, Of this city, is due all the
credit of running the thieves down. In
an interview with Rue this afternoon
he gave the following account Of the
inception of the robberies, their detec-
ton, modus Opcra,ydi of their execu-
ton, etc.
Rue said Two years ago we decided
to dispense with locks on cars, and in
troduced our present system of seals.
The seal is Of lead, is about the size Of
n fiye.cent nickel. and is about one
eighth Of an inch in thickness. The
wire used in connection with it is one
sixteenth OF an inch iron wire. There
are curls in it to prevent its being
pulled through the lead seal. The
wire is passed through the seal,
then through the hasp Of the car
doors, then back through the seal
again, forming a circle. An instrument
is then used in impressing the seals
That in use--say in Pittsburgh-stamp
upon the inverse side the letters " Pg.
Tr.", and upon the diverse side " Z.
st. L." thus indicating that the car is
intact. When il enters the Pacific Cen
trail and st. Louis railroad, bound west
ward. two wires are imbedded at the
same stroke as the letters are imprinted.
Eastern-bound trains were not modest
ed. Western-bound trains have been the
sufferers. AS near as we can estimate it
these robberies have been going on for
two years.
BoLDER AND DOLDER GREW THE ROB
berries.
At first there was timidity, and they
only occurred at long intervals. Then
daily, growing holder and more gen
eral, until Just lately every train was a
sufferer. We became cognizant of the
robberies through claims submitted by
New York to the road on the strength
of their western customers allegations
Of broken packages, both in bulk and
in severalty, the evidence in each
case being positive that the packages
were opened in transit. We were
puzzled long time by the robberies,
as our reports from western points
showed that the seals were always
seemingly intact. For long time we
blamed the extractions OF the goods
upon roustabouts at Piers q and %,
in New York, and Dock-Street station,
at Philadelphia, as nearly all of our
western bound freight was put in cars
at one OF the other Of these three
places. We employed detectives and
all imaginable devices, and found
finally that our employees at these
points were above suspicion. Finally
We found that the robberies were com
mitted between Pittsburgh and Denni-
son that ont of eighty crewsseventy-five
were practicing gigantic scheme of
robbery. We were badly startled at
first by the fact that the seals on the
cars were generally found intact when
the cars reached Columbus on their
way westward. Then commenced n
system Of espionage on every mile OF
road between here and Dennison. Day
and night the watch continued.
THE RoBBBGIEs DETECTED.
Meanwhile marked and decoy goods
were used. We found that local freight
was generally untouched; that robbie
ries were committed in UnionLine
shipments. One dark night one of our
brightest men stumbled against a mys-
terry OF seals and the method by which
they were successfully tempered with.
Concealed behind car he saw a
freight crew come to the Union-Line
car the wire was pulled ont OF
the seal, the door was thrown
back and the car entered. In a short
time the men emerged carrying lot OF
plunder. They made off TO the caboose
and the conductor pulled back the door,
ran the wire through the seal where 1t
bad been pulled ont, and with board
struck it blow. The wire went back
to its place, the blow united the soft
lead again without destroying the let
tering on either side, and the seal was
apparently untouched. ] saw one OF
these and it was only by the closest
scrutiny that person could detect signs
of tampering with it. All this was
made clear. Our course was much
easier. The individuals of these crews
were then each of them tracked down,
and 80 closely were the stolen goods
located that out of all the arrests we
made last night and this morning there
was not one man but had stolen stuff
either upon him or in his room.
EVERY THIEF SPOTTED.
We have our hands on every thievisl
employS, and We are in easy reach OF
those who are not arrested. can give
few illustrations of the spirit of these
employees. In one case Just lately the
pursuit was so hot that twenty-five
boxes of fine cigars were hastily burned
in a caboose stove. In another case
"tip" resulted ip two bolts OF
fine silk being thrown from the ca
boose into the Monongahela river
while crossing the Pam Handle bridge.
In another instance the crew broke
open car and found it full OF organs.
One of the men, enraged by finding
nothing of a stealable kind, thrust an
iron bar into an organ and ruined
il. We have evidence that a
freight conductor broke into car,
opened a piano, and sat and played II
all night, stopping at midnight TO eat
his supper off of the polished top.
The same fellow was humping piano
in dive last night when captured
Another brakeman who lives in Wylie
avenue stole bolt of cloth, had suit
made for himself, and gave cloth for
two other suits to two OF his friends.
Another man has become an expert on